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Cold canapés are mostly elegant miniature (one or two-bite sized) open sandwiches. They are served cold. Cold canapés also include small filled pastry, bread or crisp batter cases.
Most canapés consist of a base, a spread and or topping and a garnish. A base, such as a small piece of shaped toasted bread, is topped with carefully cut and selected commodities arranged stylishly, seasoned, garnished and glazed to keep the item from drying out and to give a glossy, fresh appearance.
Canapés are generally served on platters arranged in simple patterns with a number of varieties being displayed on the one platter. The arrangement of a number of varieties together is visually stimulating. Keeping canapés and arrangements of canapés simple, works best.
The most essential ingredient in preparing canapés is planning.
The most essential ingredient in preparing canapés is planning. Advance planning and preparation is essential to minimise waste, maximise efficiency and produce a top quality product.
 Plan suitable varieties for the requirements of the function and the overall menu.
Correct amount of ingredients according to Standard Recipes.
Select only top quality ingredients: You cannot produce top quality product from anything but top quality ingredients!
Choose harmonious flavor, color, and texture combinations.
And remember to always keep the design simple.
All mise en place must be completed before the assembly of canapés so that the assembly process is smooth and unhurried and attention can be placed on quality of presentation.
For hygiene reasons, and to get the best out of the assembled ingredients, canapés should be assembled as close as possible to service time without unnecessary pressure. Often ingredients such as bread or pastry bases can become soggy, or toppings can dry out and look dull if production is too far ahead of service.
Glazes should be applied as soon as possible. Canapés can be set on a wire rack for coating so excess aspic bypasses them. At least two layers of aspic are generally required to develop a lustrous shine. Canapés should be returned to the cool room immediately after they have been coated and between coats.
Choose a simple elegant platter. Silver or Stainless steel work well. The platter must be polished and be free from blemishes. Mirrors, ceramic and other suitable surfaces must be sanitised, free from undesirable blemishes of marks or damage.
Canapés are generally laid out in simple geometric patterns such as straight lines or curves. Do not overload platters. A common arrangement is to have three or four varieties on a platter laid out in lines one line per variety. Keep the arrangement simple!
Each item must be placed in a regular sequence and must all face in exactly the same direction, completely uniform. This regularity highlights the features of individual canapés. Further garnishing should not be necessary, but if used must compliment and not draw attention away from the canapés themselves.
Made-up platters should be stored in a cool room until they are required. Canapés should be stored in a separate cool room or service fridge if possible. If they are in a shared cool room, keep separate from other items. As they have delicate surfaces and are not being stored long, they do not require covering. If canapés have to be stored for more than a few minutes, they must be covered in such a way that the covering material is kept from contacting the surface of the completed canapés.
 Red and black caviar and minced onion on separate bases
Arranged as a chequerboard on a platter
Caviar butter piped around edge of base
Miniature onion rings, capers and radish in fine julienne
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Mustard butter topped with fine chopped egg and parsleye
Small ham cube and cocktail onion on skewer
Spread capsicum butter with dill pickle
Smoked oyster with tiny lemon wedge with tiny parsley sprig
Smoked salmon slice with lemon and dill cream cheese piped rosette
Fresh dill, Capers, fine lemon zest
Blue vein cheese thin slice cut to size
Toasted Pecan half
Prawn tail inverted on egg slice and mayonnaise rosette
Cherry tomato slice, fresh cracked black pepper and tiny coriander sprig
Hot canapés are small elegant finger foods, served hot. For a diner to eat hot food without utensils, the food should be hot but not so hot that the diner will be burnt when they attempt to eat it. Generally the hot food has a coating or is placed on a skewer that makes it possible to easily pick it up without difficulty.
Hot canapés include hot foods served in a casing, which is most often pastry but may be noodle paste, bread, crepe, edible paper, sausage casings, leaves, hollow vegetables, crisp batters and similar coatings. The casing must hold the filling until eaten and must complement the filling and main ingredient(s). Hot canapés may also be a main ingredient(s) on a skewer served with an accompanying sauce.
Fillings are often a tasty viscous sauce with a featured main ingredient in it. Garnishing must be elegant but sufficiently simple that large numbers may be finished for service without compromising the service temperature required and the optimum condition of the wrapper or coating.
 Because hot canapés are finished by some cooking/ heating process before service they may be prepared ahead of time and even frozen. This allows for the production of hot Canapés to fit into times when there is less demand.
Surface finishes on finished items will be applied as appropriate. Pastries may be glazed with egg-wash. For example, finished hot items may be brushed with a hot sauce or flavoured oil just before being served.
Mise en place for service must be carefully planned and there must be sufficient heat provided by the correct equipment to correctly cook or reheat hot Canapés for service. All garnishes, accompaniments, sauces, and service equipment must be made ready before service. Plenty of space must be allowed for laying out food on the platter and the correct equipment at the correct temperature must be provided for the safe, hygienic and temporary storage of prepared Canapés.
Hot canapés should be served on warm platters on a clean and hygienic insulating base (such as clean cloth or paper napkins or doilies); or clean, edible, heat stable leaves. Napkins may be folded in simple and elegant style to provide height or compliment the layout or design of the canapés
The canapés should be arranged in lines in simple geometric patterns such as straight lines, or gentle curves. It is essential that canapés are laid out uniformly so that the arrangement underpins and highlights the canapés themselves and not the other way round. Diners should incorporate accompaniments and sauces into the overall design in such a way as to be pleasing to the eye and to provide easy access.
Garnishes should be simple and elegant. Sometimes a sauce will accompany a single variety hot canapé. For example chicken satays with a peanut based sauce, miniature Italian style sausage rolls with a spicy tomato based sauce. Similarly there may be a variety of sauces or dips including dry dips such as spices, flavoured mixtures, herbs, nuts and or seeds.
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